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Move to St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots was right move for me - Donovan Miller

Chris Gayle wasn’t the only talent the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots lured away from the Jamaica Tallawahs before the start of the 2017 Hero CPL season that begins in August.

The Tallawahs’ bowling coach Donovan Miller has joined the coaching staff there as the assistant coach.

Miller, in addition to being on the coaching staff of the winning Tallawahs team last season, also won the Division II title in English County Cricket with Essex County.

Essex will play in Division 1 in the coming season this summer.

Miller, the coach at the Chris Gayle Academy in the United Kingdom, tells SportsMax.TV that there were several reasons he decided to make the move to St Kitts. Chief among them was the opportunity to work with his childhood hero, former West Indies opener and coach, Phil Simmons.

“That I had an opportunity to work under Head Coach Phil Simmons, who I have been a fan of since I was a kid, was impossible to turn down,” Miller said.

“St Kitts have a very strong squad with the likes of Chris Gayle and Chris Morris and Ben Cutting so it is exciting times.”

But it was more than just working with Simmons and Gayle that made Miller sign on the dotted line for the Patriots.

“At that time I was just trying to sort out my position and work out which option was better for me. The St Kitts one was on the table and it was really a good one. I liked the idea about how they are looking to go over the next couple of years and where they see the franchise going,” he said.

“At the end of the day, the Tallawahs were keen to have me back but I didn’t burn any bridges. I had a really good conversation with the General Manager Mohammed Khan and also spoke to the owners and after a chat with them I made them know my intentions.”

He said he believes he made the right decision.

“There was just more clarity and understanding about my role and they were quite keen for me to sign as early as possible and get me involved in everything that has been happening with the draft and everything,” he said.

“With Jamaica, things were slightly different. They were in the middle of sorting out things with Chris and the issue with Andre Russell, and those were top priority issues for them to sort out.”

He also had his schedule with Essex to consider.

“July sounds like it’s a long way off, but for me it’s not because I have a full English county season that I have to commit to plus family as well. So I had to go where there was a bit more clarity,” he explained.

“By the time I got round to speak to Mohammed Khan and we had a chat, my mind was about 75 per cent made up already. At this time in my development I think it was the right move.”